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When Sarah Spinner, Ph.D., J.D., arrived at 91�ֿ� in the summer of 2024 to lead the 91�ֿ� Museum, she saw an opportunity to bring two of her favorite places together: museums and university campuses.

But she also saw an opportunity to strengthen the museum’s relationship with the community just outside its doors.

“The museum acts as a front door to the university, welcoming people six days a week all year long,” Spinner said. “And you bring your own stories, ideas and experiences through those doors to us.”

Speaking Oct. 21 at the 2026 Bowman Breakfast, Spinner described how that philosophy has helped transform the museum into a more visible part of the Kent community — and offered a practical example of how 91�ֿ� and the city of Kent can thrive together.

The Bowman Breakfast, a long-standing tradition that brings together university leaders, city officials and community members to celebrate the relationship between 91�ֿ� and the city. Since its inception in 1963, the event has provided a forum for discussing shared challenges, recognizing achievements and considering how the two institutions can continue to grow together.

For Spinner, that partnership is more than an abstract idea. It is something she sees taking shape every time a community member visits the museum, attends an exhibition opening or discovers a reason to return to campus.

Opening the Doors Wider

When Spinner became director of the 91�ֿ� Museum, one of her early changes was to make exhibition opening receptions accessible to everyone.

Previously, the receptions had been invitation-only, a common practice at museums. Spinner decided to open them to the broader community.

“When we made that change, I wondered whether our community would show up, and you did,” she said. 

“We opened our doors wide, and you welcomed us right back,” Spinner said. “You came. You brought friends. You kept coming back.”

The museum has since found more opportunities to connect with residents, businesses and community organizations. Its activities have included holiday celebrations, a coat drive, a Fourth of July gathering and events recognizing people with ties to Northeast Ohio’s cultural history.

The museum also welcomed the for a special evening and joined in celebrating ’s 20th anniversary.

These events reflect Spinner’s belief that a university museum should be more than a destination for people already interested in fashion, textiles or decorative arts. It can also serve as a gathering place where residents encounter new ideas, connect with one another and discover something unexpected about the university in their community.

“I believe museums are for everyone,” Spinner said.

That commitment is especially meaningful at 91�ֿ�, where the museum’s collection of approximately 30,000 objects offers opportunities to connect art and design with subjects ranging from history and social change to science and space exploration.

Spinner highlighted a suffragette suit from Cleveland that tells a story about the fight for change and a spacesuit worn to the International Space Station by 91�ֿ� alumnus Carl Walz.

Visitors do not need specialized knowledge to find something meaningful in the collection, she explained. The museum’s objects offer different points of entry into the university’s academic and cultural resources.

A Partnership With Measurable Impact

The results of the museum’s community engagement have been substantial.

Spinner reported that annual attendance grew from approximately 9,300 visitors to nearly 25,000 in two years. During that period, the museum also appeared in more than 100 press and media stories.

More than 70% of its visitors now come from outside Portage County, Spinner said, bringing additional activity to the surrounding community.

“When we showed up for our community, guess what? You all showed up for us too,” she said.

The relationship creates opportunities for benefits that extend beyond the museum itself. Visitors may have lunch at a local restaurant, shop downtown, explore the Kent Campus or stay overnight at the .

Spinner described those connections as “economic impact in action.”

Her remarks illustrated a central point about the relationship between the university and the city: The university’s resources can draw people to Kent while the city’s businesses, attractions and welcoming atmosphere help make their visits more meaningful.

That shared appeal also matters when prospective students and their families consider 91�ֿ�. 91�ֿ� President Todd Diacon noted during his remarks that students frequently cite a combination of the campus and downtown Kent when explaining why they chose the university.

The city and university are not simply neighbors. Their identities and success are intertwined.

“I think it’s absolutely true and fair to say that 91�ֿ� doesn’t thrive without Kent,” Diacon said. “And I think it’s also fair to say that Kent doesn’t thrive without 91�ֿ�. So we’re in this together.”

Building on a Shared Identity

The timing of Spinner’s remarks was particularly fitting as Kent embraces its recognition as Ohio’s top college town.

Dennis Campbell, executive director of the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, opened the breakfast by emphasizing that the relationship between the university and the city requires continued attention.

“Our focus on the continued development of our relationship between the city of Kent, its businesses, its people, its city schools and its university means that we will never cross a finish line on our way to success, but instead keep growing and advancing it together,” Campbell said.

Spinner’s experience at the museum offered an example of what that continued growth can look like: identifying a resource the community may not fully know about, making it more accessible and giving people new reasons to engage with it.

Her next major project is designed to extend that reach even further.

The museum is preparing “NFL Looks: From Draft Day to Game Day,” an exhibition exploring the intersection of fashion and football in partnership with the National Football League. The exhibition will connect the museum’s fashion collection with a subject that has broad public appeal while drawing attention to the region’s connection to football.

The museum announced plans for an opening celebration on Jan. 28, 2027, with the 91�ֿ� Hotel and Conference Center presenting the event.

For Spinner, the exhibition is another opportunity to bring new audiences to the museum and encourage them to experience more of what Kent has to offer.

She has also joined the board of the , creating another avenue to work with local partners to promote the city and university.

“I’m so excited to work with you to shine an even brighter light on our amazing city and university,” Spinner said.

A Community Built Together

Spinner’s connection to the relationship between 91�ֿ� and the city is rooted in her own experience growing up near McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where her parents were professors.

The university was part of her everyday life. She studied in its library, attended summer camp there and grew up among students, faculty and staff who were also her neighbors and friends.

“From the beginning, a university has always felt like home to me,” she said.

That experience shaped her understanding of what a university can mean to the people who live around it. A campus is not only a place to earn a degree or conduct research. It can be a source of discovery, connection and opportunity for an entire community.

At the 91�ֿ� Museum, Spinner is working to make that possibility tangible — one exhibition, gathering and open door at a time.

She closed her remarks by thanking the community for welcoming her during her first two years in Kent and recognizing the museum team, university colleagues and supporters who have made its work possible.

“And to each of you here, thank you for showing up every day to build this incredible community,” she said. “Every Flash has a story, and I’m so grateful that mine brought me here.”

At a breakfast devoted to the partnership between 91�ֿ� and the city, Spinner’s story offered a reminder that strong town-gown relationships are built not only through major projects or institutional agreements, but also through everyday invitations to participate, discover and belong.